Allegations of tribalism rock Malamulele

Twenty-three years into democracy, Vhembe is still caught up in allegations of tribalism between Tsonga-speaking and Venda-speaking people.

Recently, Ms Ndivhuwo Rasivhaga was “stopped” from occupying her position as station commander at the Malamulele Traffic Station “by officers at the station” who allegedly said they did not want to be led by a Venda-speaking person.

According to information from the department, Rasivhaga, who was working as a principal provincial inspector based at Tshilamba in Mutale, was supposed to assume her new position as chief provincial inspector (station manager/commander) in Malamulele on 1 November. The provincial department, however, was forced to instruct Rasivhaga to report to their offices based at the old parliamentary buildings in Thohoyandou, while they were busy addressing the issue.

In her comment, the HOD for transport in Limpopo, Ms Hanli du Plessis, confirmed through her media liaison officer, Mukondeleli Tshifura, that “the department is aware of the situation and it is giving it the necessary attention.”

Meanwhile, Limpopo Mirror has managed to locate some of the 15 traffic officers who were also forced to flee from the same station in August 2013 after they were allegedly told that “Vendas are not needed in Malamulele.”

The officers said everything was continuing very well since they were deployed in Malamulele in 2008, until the time that protest marches by community members, who were demanding that they be granted their own municipality, separate from Thulamela, took place.

“We started to hear the community singing songs insulting Vendas. Some even said openly that they did not want to see Vendas in their areas. Others said they were tired of hearing 'Aa' and 'Nndaa'.

“When we were manning the roads, some of the drivers would tell us straight that they were not prepared to be stopped by Vendas in their own area. They said we must go back to our homes and work there,” the officers said.

The Tshivenda-speaking officials also mentioned that a shutdown took place on a certain day, “and we only learnt about it when we were going to work. We later learnt that our colleagues from Malamulele, who were Tsonga speakers, knew about it, but they never tipped us off. After being threatened by the community, we realized that we were not safe, and we left and reported the matter to our senior, who told us to report in Thohoyandou until today”.

When asked if they would go back to Malamulele, another officer flatly refused and said they were not safe there.

The spokesperson for the Limpopo Government, Mr Phuti Seloba, said they were disappointed about the alleged conduct of officers at the Malamulele traffic station. “It must be known that this province belongs to all who live in it, irrespective of the language, culture and beliefs.” He added that, according to the government, “people of this province are equal. We appeal to anyone who experiences such uncalled-for conduct to report the matter to the police, so that those who are promoting it face the full might of the law”.

According to him, anyone who discriminates against others in terms of tribal reasons is violating the Constitution, which is a serious crime.

Meanwhile, Mr Nsobo Sambo, spokesperson for the Pro-Makhado Task Team, said the allegations of tribal conflict between Vendas and Tsongas was influenced by the government that failed to deal with the matter when it started during the Pro-Malamulele Task Team. “When people from Malamulele said they wanted their own municipality that did not include Venda-speaking people, the government did nothing to address it. What they did was to grant a municipality that also included Venda-speaking people from Vuwani and other areas, just to make sure that they pleased people from Malamulele.”

Sambo added that it is unfortunate that people from Malamulele hid behind tribalism when they demanded their own municipality, “hence they knew very well that they just wanted the municipality for their own personal reasons.”

When asked why the Pro-Makhado group was refusing to be part of Lim 345, Sambo said that their position had been and was still clear and that they had not been properly consulted. “It is unfortunate that the same people who are tribalistic are accusing us of the same thing, which is wrong. Myself, Sambo, I am a Tsonga. Our deputy chairperson, Arnold Mulaudzi, is married to a Tsonga woman, our secretary, Patrick Mahafha, is married to a Tsonga woman, Thovhele Mmbangiseni Masia is married to a Tsonga woman.”

He added that it proved that the allegations made against them that they were tribalistic were totally unfounded.

When approached for comment, Nukeri Maluleke from the Pro-Malamulele Task Team said: “I will only comment about the issue after investigations.”

9 Comments

But I'm happy I have woken at least 3 commentators from slumbering.more comments please not only on this one but other headlines as well,I'm motivated by the fact that if you don't want to be critised just don't write anything.I'm more than motivated and watch this space any divisive heading by mirror journalism I will be on their necks and throat I'm ready with my red pen.
And I still challenge more people to commentary to make it robustly but interesting,you might be bitter but the moment you meet Uncle Sol you will shake my hand.Zwakanaka zwina musoro!! I'm crossing over to New Zimbabwe and Bulawoyo24

Trevor•8 months ago

Threats to journalists are not warranted. Anyway, go well to zim news, perhaps you will make more sense that side.

Uncle Sol Mashimbye•8 months ago

I wish my first comment can be reinstated,the relationship between Tsonga/Shangaans and Vendas is one characterized by imitations and pretending,it is not a genuine one and let us be honest with ourselves.When Malamulele left Thulamela in a huff,with all those strong reasons not a single leader from Venda dominated district ever supported thier demand for a municipality that will serve all the communities within its jurisdictions.Vendas excluded themselves from that new municipality and used Vuwani and those other villages to represent them in protest to sabotage the existence of LIM345 and unaware that the municipality still belong to a Venda denominated district called Vembe.But now those leaders are deploying their own Venda people to LIM345 and expect people from Malamulele who fought for more 10 years to get that municipality to accept imposed managers or else will be accused of tribalism by the Venda majority in order to silence them and the same tactic used to whites being accused as racists to buy their silence,and when the people of Malamulele rejected the deployees they will be unfairly accused of tribalism by the tyrant majority.there are councillors at LIM345 who are coming from this few Venda villages who boycotted the elections but the born to lead Vendas are quiet about this unfair beneficiation because this councillors are coming from the born to lead.
We always accused whites of fuelling hatred amongst us as blacks when we are the perpetrators of this hatred ourselves.Let me remind you that South Africa belongs to all and if by chance you happen to remember the old Republic of Venda please leave Louis trichardt and Musina out that are former whites areas and belong to the new South Africa.whites confined blacks during apartheid on their homelands and on ethnic lines and during democracy there are still those who said this is Venda and you Tsonga/Shangaans you don't have a land,does this not interpret that those who claim to be oppressed back then at the republic of Venda are now the masters of oppression by telling us to go to Giyani and so forth.The Anc government lied to us as Tsonga/Shangaans by making us believes the homelands were dismantled and we have Vembe district only to ressurect the republic of Venda and we are handed to Vendas as free gift so that they can oppress us because we are minority at Vembe.

It is unfortunately I will keep on writting and telling the naked truth that will not go down well with Venda speaking people.and let me remind you that the town makhado is situated at Biaba and the town along N1 is called Louis trichardt but for those who have the wishes will call it Makhado but it's wrong.at Vembe you want it or not you will live with us,this is part of New South Africa and forever.

You can remove my comment if you want but you will read first and get the truth like you did with the first one.

Trevor•8 months ago

Hehehe...the town of.makhado is in biaba..do you even know who makhado is? Do you even know a place called swongozwi? Mashimbye, you need to visit a library. This country and our area has had a terrible past. Reasonable people would like to leave the past behind and focus on building the future for those who will come when we are gone.

Trevor•8 months ago

That is quite a mouthful but its all over the place. You speak of people of malamulele having fought to get their own municipality, then the republic of venda then leaving musina and makhado out of venda.

You will agree when I say you are all over the place. Perhaps simple questions need to be asked here. Firstly, what was the reason for the people of malamulele wanting their own municipality? You cannot tell me that thulamela is servicing venda people because if you say that I will accuse you of lying through your green teeth. Go to thohoyandou and tell me that thulamela is doing anything.

Secondly, is the LIM345 municipality viable? I dont know if you know that the old municipality of mutale has been amalgamated into musina and thulamela purely because it was not viable. Mutale is more than ten times the size of malamulele with more than ten times the size of per capita and total household income. LIM 345 is not sustainable in the short, medium and the long run.

If you want to tell me that you are not aware that the people who were funding the unrest in your fight for a municipality are know criminals and people who have failed in business time and again then I will know you are naive.

Do you think those failed business people from around malamulele, one of whom ran a failed night club in thohoyandou some time ago, have the interests of the people of malamulele at heart? Do you think they care about service delivery to the poorest of the poor? No sir, they want to create their own tender manufacturing unit in malamulele.

You complain about the LIM 345 employing venda speaking people. Let me ask you; who are the senior managers at that municipality? Are they venda by any chance? Perhaps they can highlight to you their reasons for employing vendas. But then again they could be employing vendas because they cannot find suitable tsongas to fill the posts. Or they could simply be unlike some people who see things along tribal lines.

You speak of makhado and musina. The lesser said about those towns the better. You seem to be the one living in the old SA. There is no republic of venda anymore where shangaans use to flock to in order to buy cheaper goods due to the lower vat rate at the time. If you insist on bringing back the past then I will indulge you dear sir; do you even know where the name malamulele comes from? Did you know that it originates from the venda word malamulela? There is no need for this tribalism sir.

Lastly were you aware that there are more tsongas working and living in thohoyandou alone than there are vendas living in malamulele. Infact the ratio could be 4:1. Should we also insist on not accommodating tsongas in our areas? Do you think that will bring about a solution? Fight the municipality for lack of free goods as you always wish for instead of taking out your frustrations on innocent citizens.

You also blame people for not supporting you in your fight for your own municipality. Are you saying all malamulele residents supported the cause for the new municipality? Even of they did, you have no right to demand people to support your lost cause. Its their choice to support you or not to.

Did you know that vendas and tsongas lived together in harmony years back until the apartheid government decided on their seperatist policy? You accuse people of living in the past yet you are the.one who seems to be caught in a time warp.

Sir, you need to travel and see the world; meet people from different cultures. Travel I dont mean going to polokwane. You need to free yourself from the slave mentality, embrace change. Stop being used by vho Steve and the Masingitas for their greed and self enrichment while you remain poor in your shack. Wake upup man.

Patriot•8 months ago

To be honest I am starting to be disgusted by these stupid people(from Malamulele) who seems to based their actions on hatred. Too many Tsongas in Makhado and Thulamela and if we were to do the same, many people will starve. Their actions are barbaric and stupid and they based everything on tribalism because of jealous. Sorry for this words, but I am starting to feel this about them. They can go to Giyani municipality if they feel associating themselves with Vendas is curse. We did not comment because you also show this hatred and we do not want to debate with people like. We are really tired of insults form these Malamulele people and the so called hosi's

last edited by Patriot on 2017-11-21 13:30:21

Trevor•8 months ago

Tsongas should be careful of what they wish for; they might get it. Perhaps a visit to the vhembe and thulamela municipality will take them out of the abyss of lack of information. Should vendas also chase out all tsonga speaking people from the so called venda areas? Should venda chiefs also claim land given to tsongas years back? Malamulele will cease to exist and since giyani doesnt have an appetite for their presence, there will be problems.

Uncle Sol Mashimbye•8 months ago

I have been commenting mostly alone and you have never asked for comments why now and where is my comment.